II hope you all had a great weekend. My daughter performed at our neighborhood tree lighting which was the highlight for sure! I, of course, had tears in my eyes. My little girl is growing up. I am so excited to kick off the week with today’s guest blogger who happens to be one of my favorite girls! Cassie from hi sugarplum! is not only super duper creative and talented, but she is also quite the funny girl and I look forward to reading her posts each morning. I am excited to hear what she has to say about her holiday haven.
Hello! I’m thrilled to be Guest Posting today…I love reading A Thoughtful Place everyday…and love my girl Courtney! I have to admit, when she asked me what my Holiday Haven was, I immediately thought, “wine.” When a lot of us think about the Holidays, we think about the stress, money and endless To-Do Lists; and worry how we’re going to get it all done. I used to feel that way, for sure! But now that I’m medicated older, I find myself wanting to savor every second and experience of the Holidays. The first thing I do is simplify and organize. I create lists of people to buy for and projects I want to do (crafts, decorating, Christmas Cards, etc). Then I fill in my calendar with times dedicated to shopping, decorating, baking and parties. Once I see it all on paper, I realize it can be done. Then I’m able to relax and truly enjoy the rest of the time with my family (without always feeling like I should be baking cookies, or wrapping gifts). 
And time with my family is where my ‘Haven for the Holidays’ comes in to play. I work full-time, but always take the full two-week Christmas break off to spend with my kids while they are home from school. It has become our special time, and we have developed a list of traditions that we all look forward to every year. The day before Thanksgiving (we start early!) is spent wandering around Neiman Marcus not touching anything!: 
T The mall isn’t busy yet, the line for Santa is short, the decorations are stunning….and of course the popovers with strawberry butter are delicious! (My son doesn’t even ask to bring a friend for this day!) Another day we’ll go the Galleria Mall and drink hot cocoa while watching all the ice skaters bite it circle the Christmas tree: 
Most nights, we take the long way home just to admire the Christmas lights: 
And since we don’t have to be strict about bedtimes, some nights we make pancakes for dinner and watch our favorite Christmas Movies: 
Spending time with my family is a blessing, and slowing down enough to truly enjoy it is my Holiday Haven. I hope you’re able to soak up every last cookie, cocoa and giggle too! Thanks for having me Courtney! Cassie, you rock! Thanks for guest posting today . . . and for putting up with some blogging technical difficulties which some of you may or may not have notices! {shhhh. . don’t tell!} What’s your favorite thing to do with your family???
Love your haven Cassie! I want to come spend the holidays with you 🙂 If only there were enough time…..
We took the 'long way home' last night after dinner and I am so excited to see how many people are 'enjoying' the Holidays just as much as us. This is the first Christmas in our new town/neighborhood/house and pretty much every home has some lights or something festive showing outside. I love it!
Love your movie selection also. We watched 'Love Actually' yesterday afternoon 🙂
Cassie, that sounds delightful and I do a lot of the same! I love snuggling on the sofa and watching Christmas movies, taking the long way home and listening to Christmas carols, etc. 🙂 It's just perfect!
I think Cassie, has the right idea about Christmas. It is soooo smart to designate a day on the calendar to do certain projects. I read that idea about all to-do list and it makes us realize how much time we actually have. Moms are very busy people. I think we are the original Christmas Elves and it sounds as if Cassie has perfected her Elf skills,
Merry Christmas and I love this series,
Kathysue
Enjoy your time off from work! Isn't it great when the kids can stay up late and everything is more relaxed, love walking through the neighborhood seeing everyone's beautiful lights!
Janell
Making that calendar is sure to put at least some of the stress to bed. It's awesome to get to take the time off from work and since you're not home all the time, I bet you and the kids enjoy it even more! Good for you that you do that. You and your kiddos are so cute in the NM pic. I've never browsed around that store (only walked through on my way to somewhere else). You've given me the nudge to go in and look around:)
Hi lovely lady I love your way of showing us all the good things in life !! We all need this Family and Friends. Im new at Tablescapes and Im a follow your Blog. Maybe you can come over and be one of my followers. Thanks so much sweet lady.
Diane
there is nothing better than spending time with the family especially when your kids don't even ask for a friend! now that is the sign of a cool mom!
What a wonderful haven : ) We just love going to look at Christmas lights to!!!
Paula
I just adore going to look at Christmas lights. There's this one neighborhood around my area that I LOVE. The homes are huge, all decorated with lights and snowmen and wreaths. The house you pictured is beautiful. And thanks for reminding me of all those movies! Elf is so cute. I bet the kids just love Christmas time in your house…you sure do a lot to make them feel special (:
That sounds like great advice to me Cassie. Taking time to slow down makes all the difference in the world.
I know you are proud of your sweet girl Courtney.
-Rene
Ahh, so fun! We watch Love Actually every Friday after Thanksgiving {and probably five hundred more times after that}. I love going to the Galleria and watching the skaters bite it 😉
Wow this made me feel so peaceful and happy! Christmas is all about Family for me. My family won't be here for another week or so and I am jumping out of my skin waiting. I can't wait to have tea with my Dad every morning and decorate at night. My Mom and I will be busy in the kitchen making up batches of our favorite Christmas dishes…. ahhh I can not wait! Cassie paints a beautiful picture and I can only hope when I have children someday that I can share precious moments like this with them 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
-Kamee
That's a sweet post! I am definitely trying the calendar trick…might make me feel a little less overwhelmed!
Great ideas Cassie! I'm still trying to find that time to slow down this Christmas, but thanks for the tips:)
Okay, I promise not to tell Courtney! LOL
Cassie,
I love the calendar idea! I may be getting a late start, but I think I'll start tomorrow. I ran around like a maniac today trying to get caught up a bit. Oooh…must check out NM!!
I can just imagine welling up when your daughter sang. I've turned so teary since being a Mum, I just well-up!! Loved this post, Cassie is one funny lady, and a good spin on christmas, be organised, and reminder to be in the moment with your kids. I'd never thought of pancakes for dinner. Why not?? 🙂
What technical difficulties?!?! Thanks Courtney, it was fun crashing your blog for a day!
Here's to a peaceful Tuesday morning.
xo
How fun that your daughter performed, Courtney! I bet that was so sweet. I enjoyed Cassie's guest post and her fun photos. I think that is such a great idea to take the 2 weeks off before Christmas and spend time with her kids. I am sure they love that special time and they are creating wonderful lasting memories. I could go for those yummy popovers with strawberry butter and a window shopping day at Neiman Marcus. I hope you and Cassie both have a good week!
Sounds like the ideal holiday haven! I have tons of lists floating around (can you say excel spreadsheets organized by gift receipt?), but I think actually putting them on the calendar is a great idea!
I took my daughter to the downtown NM and she loved the spaceship. And oh yes I love the popovers…yum!